The incredible story of Desmond Doss, unarmed nurses in war
November 4 is a film «Hacksaw Ridge» - drama directed by Mel Gibson, based on the incredible, exciting, but it is a true story. The real story of Desmond Doss, a medic and a pacifist, who went through the war without taking the hands of military weapons, was full of the exploits and adventures. This flimsy young man with a funny smile overcame first system of its own army, and then won the highest award, the long days of dragging wounded comrades out of the machine-gun barrage of not making a single shot and without having any weapons at all currently.
"The Japanese have led the hunt for nurses. For medical and machine guns. Why are they so hated Heavies - understandable. But the hunt for nurses carried exclusively practical sense: when killing a medic, falling morale of the soldiers, because no one else to take care of them in case of injury. All nurses in the army carried a gun but me. I did not take weapons in hand. "
- Desmond Doss, a veteran of World War II Medal of Honor Chevalier
For reasons of conscience: Surprisingly, hard-nosed "refusenik"
Desmond Thomas Doss was born on 7 February 1919 in Lynchburg, Virginia, the son of a carpenter William Doss and shoe factory worker Bertha Oliver. Doss family was very religious, they belonged to the extremely tight fundamental Protestant Church "Seventh-day Adventists." Adventists believe in the imminent Second Coming of Christ, piously honored the ten commandments of God and kept the Sabbath, honoring her most important day and "memorial of creation". On this day, it is impossible to work and play, it should be devoted to prayer and humility. All childhood Doss held in strict asceticism and the daily repetition of prayers, the most important subject in the boy's room was a large poster hanging on the wall, with the very Ten Commandments, known to every Christian.
When Doss, 18 years old, he, like any normal patriotic American, said he wanted to volunteer to serve the country and received a number of conscripts. The world was restless - Germany in Europe and Japan in Asia flexed their muscles, and from day to day, it was possible to wait for a thunderstorm. He received a civil work at the docks of the city of Newport News in the same Virginia, where he worked on the loading and unloading of warships. When in 1939 the war broke out, Doss enrolled in military medical training to get a specialty, more suitable to his convictions.
Finally, in 1942 he came his draft number (at the time of the call in the US army carried out using a random lottery) - Doss was summoned to the recruiting center to call in the army. By this time the United States has entered into World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor and were actively fighting with the Japanese on the islands in the Pacific Ocean. Desmond Doss going to send to serve in the infantry - the army is constantly required replenishment. But then it turned out one important detail: Doss flatly refused to take up arms, and as stated in his application form, stating that it is contrary to his convictions. Seventh-day Adventists in the literal sense, perceive the sixth commandment of God, "Thou shalt not kill!" And forbade his followers even to touch any weapon.
Desmond asked him to enlist in the army to "non-combatant" position, but recruiters do not understand the aspirations of the boy and put down his case infamous stamp of "refuseniks". Army concept of "refuseniks» ( «Conscientious objector»), means a person who refuses to do military service, with reference to their beliefs. These are people who want to avoid the battlefield and are generally directed to any alternative work not connected with service in the army. But Desmond wanted to serve his country wanted to join the army. And he managed to enroll in the medical service, where he could do his duty, without changing their beliefs.
"I felt it was a great honor - to serve God and my country, but I had no idea what I really got involved."
- Desmond Doss
Can you imagine how comrades treated him Lad Camp. When you go to the army and plan to go soon on a battlefield, you expect their mates that they will cover your back in a fight, when there will be whistling bullets and dropping bombs. The guy who could not get into the hands of even an army knife, did not inspire much confidence fellow soldiers. During basic training
Desmond stoically endured endless ridicule and bullying colleagues. Commanders tried to survive by any means from the service sort of "original" - one sergeant, who led the training of recruits, tried to give the Doss court-martialed for disobeying a direct order to take up a rifle. He dropped the rifle right in front of Desmond and shouted threateningly, that he includes it in improper condition and will be punished for it. Desmond is a long time stared at him until the sergeant did not have to pick up the rifle. In addition, he is prohibited from working in the "holy Sabbath," and this greatly annoyed command. One of the senior officers put a lot of effort to dismiss Doss from the armed forces, and when that failed, he tried to transfer to the reserve due to his mental illness.
During the interrogation, Doss said, "I can not imagine Jesus Christ with arms. I'm sure that if he was in the war, it would have saved the lives of the people and would not have killed them. But I want to serve in the army and help their country. I would be a bad Christian, if agreed, I retarded just because of their religious beliefs. Sorry, but I can not do that. "
And then the army resigned, he remained in the ranks.
Desmond meekly tolerated. In the evening, he picked up his little pocket Bible, which he presented to the young wife, and earnestly prayed for himself and for all of these foolish people. Very soon they will regret their lack of faith in his strength. This guy proves that his balls are made of a much harder alloy than theirs.
Guam
The first chance to prove their mettle appeared in Doss summer of 1944, when as part of the 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division, he went to the island of Guam, to fight with the Japanese. Guam, captured by the Japanese in 1941, was crucial for the continuation of the war the Americans - a large island, which could serve as a springboard for future landings on the Philippines, Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands. It had a deep harbor capable of receiving large warships, as well as two runways for strategic bombers.
Invasion of Guam began on the morning July 21, 1944. The Japanese put up fierce resistance, arranged permanent night counter than very harassed allies. Despite the devastating shelling and overwhelming superiority in manpower Americans - the capture of the island was moving very slowly. Under the incessant rains in the dark dense jungle Americans had just smoked fanatical Japanese from every hole on the island. The soldiers of the Japanese garrison refused to surrender and fought to the death, until they were wiped out almost at full strength.
During the Guam operation Desmond Doss has shown unparalleled courage - dozens of times he pulled the wounded soldiers right from under the nose of the enemy, dragging them myself in the mud to a safe place, provided a quick and quality medical care. This guy with a big red cross on the helmet was a good target for enemy snipers who had taken refuge in the trees, but it did not bother him. Its main goal was to save as much as possible the lives of American soldiers.
Only 4 August the Americans were able to break through the Japanese defense line and surround the remaining enemy. By 10 August, the island was completely captured, but gave a long time felt a small group of Japanese guerrillas attacking US troops stray.
After the capture of the island Doss repeatedly accompanied by US military patrols were engaged in mopping up the island. It was not in his direct duties, but he did not see myself anywhere but next to his comrades.
"I went to patrol with the guys. My commander told me that I was not obliged to do so, but I said, "Maybe that's not part of my duties, but I believe that should do it." I knew these guys, they were my friends, some were wives and children - were waiting for them at home. And when some of them hurt, I wanted to be close to us while others cover their backs, to provide the necessary assistance. "
- Desmond Doss
The patrols are constantly attacked by the enemy of individual groups still are not going to give up, so that the work Doss enough. An eloquent fact: the last Japanese, Shoichi Yokoi, local hunters discovered in 1972, he has been hiding from everyone, and lived in a cave alone for 27 years.
At the end of his service in Guam Desmond Doss he was awarded his first Bronze Star (fourth most important award in the US Armed Forces).
Leyte Island
After a brief respite in the peaceful islands of New Caledonia, in December 1944 the 77th Division ferried to participate in the operation to liberate the Philippines. On the small island of Leyte in October continued stubborn fighting the Japanese, and Desmond Doss again got into the thick of the battle, where for the second time was able to prove that, in order to pass a tough guy, not necessarily pick up the rifle, and turn the heads of enemy soldiers in bloody bursting watermelons. Doss was transferred from the field techs to nurses, porters, it was a safe operation, but not for someone like Desmond.
By December, in the hands of Americans it has had a large part of the island, and they continued to move slowly. Japanese reinforcements had to engage in battle, barely getting off the ladders transport vehicles, without having to build a combat order and properly prepare for the defense - they milled in parts. The battle reached the extreme bitterness.
In one of the episodes of hostilities, during the storming of the Japanese defensive positions, Doss saw two wounded Americans behind a small hillock, which were jammed dagger machine-gun fire from two directions. Without thinking, he rushed to the rescue, jumped out of the shadows of the jungle saving and ran to him right after 200 meters of open space. When he got to the wounded, he discovered that one of them is dead, then he picked up the second and steadily crawled back to him, and then vzhimayas face in the dirt under the whistle of bullets flying from all sides. Barely reaching the edge of the forest, ignoring the fire of snipers, who were aiming at a red cross on his helmet, he began to build a stretcher for the injured bamboo to pull him to the rear. As a result, his client was rescued, and Doss for his courage to be his second Bronze Star.
Okinawa
But all this was just a warm-up before the real hell, who was waiting for the Americans in Okinawa. The landing of allied troops on Okinawa, the Japanese became the penultimate major military operation of World War II (the latter was the August Soviet offensive in Manchuria and the defeat of the Kwantung Army). Okinawan battle was one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific front: the Japanese lost more than 100 000 soldiers were killed, the loss of the Allies over 12 000 people.
The Battle of Okinawa began on 1 April 1945, and the first to take it in her part of the 77th Infantry Division, which served as Desmond Doss. The fanatical Japanese fought fiercely and skilfully, Americans are faced with such resistance, which until then they had never seen. Apart from the usual small-arms fire and artillery fire, they had to deal with suicide bombers, who, under the cover of darkness crept on US positions and undermine themselves. The bitterness was transcendent - during the battle for one of the small villages of the American infantry attacked the islanders, armed with spears. These Amazons were not willing to surrender, and they had to shoot.
April 29 307th Regiment 77th Division was assigned to storm Maeda Ridge, which stretches across the entire island. It was almost a cliff 120 meters high, dotted with a complex system of natural and artificial caves. Before the start of the assault infantry support tanks fired incendiary shells on one of the caves, and soon smoke poured from several holes around the hill. This meant that in these positions are connected by underground passages and each of them represents an independent fortified pillboxes. During the war, the Japanese had to carefully prepare Maeda defense and turned it into a real fortress.
Before the attack Doss insisted that the whole company prayed. Those who served with him is not the first month, humbly bowed their heads as he read a prayer. And then they climbed to the assault. Knocking out power, the men climbed the steep rock, until they were just before the top, where they waited almost steep final section of the 15-meter height. Then they came up with to use sea freight network knitted from thick ropes, with their help, they were able to climb up. Then company B came under heavy fire of the enemy - every meter of rock was split between Japanese gun emplacements, and they had plenty of time to carefully adjust them.
The Americans fought very hard - in the course went grenades and bayonets, and by the end of the day they almost smoothed his land. On the neighboring areas where other battalions operated company, the loss of the dozens of dead, but among the soldiers of B Company of irreplaceable losses were not just a few people were slightly injured. In an official report to the lieutenant commander of the battalion, commanded a company, not knowing how to rationalize their success, and wrote, "Doss prayed for us."
But the battle was far from over. During the day the Japanese were hiding in their shelters and night made desperate counterattack. The next night after the first assault on a company B suddenly attacked by a large force of the enemy, the first loss began. Four Americans, trying to take a stand for the defense, in the dark, ran straight at machine-gun point and the Japanese were injured. Doss, ignoring their own lives, rushed to save them. He crawled to him right in front of an enemy machine gunner, literally in some 7 meters from the muzzle of a machine gun and pulled them out one by one. Four times back and forth.
75 wounded
4 days later, the 1st Battalion of the 307th Regiment was still sweep fortifications at Maeda. The battalion moved combat convoy when suddenly came under heavy fire of the enemy. The Japanese took refuge in the two masked positions of the left and right of the attackers, and as soon as they came in their kill zone, dropped camouflage nets and rained down on them all the power of their weapons. For what some 3 minutes of the nearly 100 300 Americans have been wounded or killed. While the others quickly retreated under the protection of the rocks, Doss was busy bandaging the wounded. When the smoke cleared from firing on the field of battle, drenched in blood, I was only one person - it was Desmond Doss. At the top he just stayed rock, angry Japanese and 75 Americans wounded who were waiting for his help.
Their comrades who had taken refuge at a steep 15-meter cliff, clutching teeth on the realization that nothing can help the remaining top. Suddenly the sky over the slope of the cliff came swinging body - on a rope down the wounded. Then another and another. Desmond built a rope arbor, like climbing, tied the other end to a tree, and one by one took his wounded soldiers down the 15-meter cliff.
Once a person has found himself at the bottom of the rope and weakened, he drew it up and crawled around the next. So, one after another, he dragged the wounded to their improvised "crossing" from the other world to this. How it was possible to do frail lean orderly did not know anybody, but he did so, one by one, for 5 hours until security pulled down 75 of their comrades. The Japanese were selected to a group of surviving very close, but the Americans are still able to hold a gun to kill them, covering their own backs brave medic.
Only when the top is no longer left no living American, Doss let himself down on the same rope. He could not stand on their feet - so much he was tired.
Bullet for medic
Battle for height lasted almost a month, she was incredibly exhausting, but during the first week of fighting 1st Battalion lost 450 killed and wounded people out of 800, losing the Japanese in this area amounted to 3,000 people.
On the night of 21 May the Americans moved into the last offensive. The height has already been taken, and it was necessary to clean the area immediately behind it. In the darkness and silence the soldiers moved forward - kick was supposed to be a surprise for the Japanese. But all the plans violated its own artillery - she mistakenly opened fire on her, and then rushed to the Japanese counterattack. Desmond took refuge in a shell crater, along with three other soldiers, one of whom was injured. While he imposed his bandage and analgesic worked hard in their shelter dropped a grenade. The other two instantly jumped out of the funnel, but Desmond did not give up his 'patient' - he tried to fling a grenade leg and at that moment it exploded.
7 hot splinters dug into his leg and back, a wounded comrade has not received any additional damage because the explosion was covered Doss body. Instead of calling for help of another medic, forcing him to get out of his hiding place, Doss himself had help yourself - injected antishock agent and self-bandaged leg bleeding. At dawn it crawled to the soldiers with a stretcher and suggested Doss evacuated to the rear, but he declined, giving way to seriously wounded, and continued as far as possible with the immobilized leg to help others affected by the fire.
Already at dawn he was about to leave the battlefield, together with another soldier, were injured. They moved slowly away from the front line, supporting each other, when a sniper's bullet caught Doss. She got into the left hand medic, entwined around the neck of another soldier, went through the wrist and elbow and lodged in his shoulder. If not for a hand Doss, this would have been a bullet in the neck of his companion. Despite terrible pain, Doss keep cool, he took his rifle from a soldier, wrapped it with a bandage around his hand, adapting as a bus, and together they slowly crawled to his.
***
With precast evacuation point Doss, bandaged from head to toe was sent to the hospital, which was located on one of the ships near Okinawa. Despite the large loss of blood and severe damage, he was still alive. Doss would be quite pleased with himself - after all he has done for his children everything he could, but one thing marred his joy - sometimes in the heat of battle, he dropped his Bible, which he presented to his wife.
The floating hospital Doss visited the commander of his unit and told him the good news about awarding the Medal of Honor - the highest of the United States military award. Desmond Doss was the first "refuseniks" who have received this award, which is awarded for "outstanding courage and bravery shown at the risk of life and excess debt service, with the participation in the actions against the enemies of the United States." Desmond became a hero not for any particular battle scene, but for all the hard and dangerous work that he did during the three years of war. If premium affairs of other gentlemen Medals of Honor for the most part consist of 5-7 leaflets with a brief description of the feat, the case of Desmond Doss is an impressive tome of 100-odd pages.
In October 1945 at a ceremony at the White House Doss received the Medal of Honor from the hands of the United States President Harry Truman.
But far more valuable gift waiting Doss house. When, after the treatment, he returned to the US, he was waiting for a small parcel from fellow soldiers. In it lay the very pocket Bible, which he cherished. She was covered with dirt stains, badly battered and was a pitiful sight, but it was the same book that was so dear to him. After positions at Maeda smoothed by the Japanese - the entire staff of the company B searched every square centimeter of the hill in search of the Bible, until it was found. They did so not on the orders of the commander, and the love of his "Hypocrites".
Throughout the war, Desmond Doss has not picked up a rifle, all this time, his weapon was only a small pocket Bible and a bag with medicines. Thanks to their determination and fearlessness in the face of death Doss managed to save the lives of hundreds of soldiers. His name for the US Army Medical Service has become a symbol of outstanding courage and dedication that goes far beyond the call of duty.
After the war, Doss mastered peaceful florist profession and began training in the economics profession, until he caught the effects of war. At Doss was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and he had to part with one of his lungs and treated for several more years. After his recovery, he devoted his life to religious service in the church, "Seventh-day Adventist" and lessons with the young scouts.
Desmond Doss was the hero of several biographical books (The Unlikeliest Hero (1967), the author Booton Herndon, Desmond Doss: Conscientious Objector (2005), author Frances M. Doss) and documentaries (The Conscientious Objector (2004), directed by Terry L. Benedict ).
Desmond Doss died March 23, 2006. His name was given to the school in his hometown of Lynchburg, and several streets and highways.
"I was not trying to be a hero. I look at it from this position - this house is on fire, and inside a small child crying - what makes a mother to come in and save him? Love, that's what. I just loved his boys, and they loved me. I do not consider myself a hero. I just could not abandon them, as well as a mother can not abandon her child in trouble. "
- Desmond Doss